Copywriting & Strategy

Howells Architecture + Design

I helped an architect shape an identity from scratch.

With a small work-from-home practice, Michael Howells required a website that would put him toe-to-toe with established brick-and-mortar firms. Collaborating closely with agency Smith & Connors, I provided strategy support and content writing, to enhance visual assets and entice well-matched prospective clients to meet with Michael.

We dug deep to distill this architect’s core strengths and connect him with his main audience: medium- to high-budget homeowners.

Architect websites typically focus on buildings. Our strategy centered on people: him, his audience, and his past clients. For the copy, I used a palette of elegant but plain words. No jargon. A focus on tactile experiences and thoughtful, personal details emphasize the humanity at the heart of this business.

My work for this (very successful) client continues. It consists of both front-end and back-end services, including newsletters, CMS updates, editorial pitches, and other PR for both web and print.

FLAVOR: clean, subtle, balanced

When you’re looking for a designer, images come first, but text matters too. This architect’s aesthetic is pared-down but meticulously detailed, rigorous but warm. The tone of the website copy reflects these complementary qualities. Balancing image and description also took some finesse: too much type detracts from the designs; too little and the architect feels remote.

Refined, detail-driven work tailored to individual clients. We squeezed every part of the site for a maximum serving of this message.

• We made the portfolio into pleasing human stories, with an editorial-style layout, and client testimonials working like quotes in a magazine piece.

• We titled projects by clients’ first names, rather than type (kitchen remodel, etc.).

• Small, judicious text decisions—e.g., repeating the + sign in the brand name in project headings and body copy—imbue the writing with the same considered, patterned detailing found in the client’s work.